Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 23 October 2024

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health

Issues and Challenges relating to Cardiology: Irish Cardiac Society

9:30 am

Professor Brendan McAdam:

I obviously cannot speak to Waterford but I know the staff have done a great job there. My own institution of Beaumont Hospital has had two cath labs for ten years. The second cath lab has been closed about 20% of the time because of staff shortages. Somebody asked me why the waiting list for an angiogram after a heart attack takes a week to organise. It is because we have only one lab running with the staff to run one procedure room, while we have another expensive room sitting idle.